Training Tip of the Week

Train Out Of Your Comfort Zone

The body responds to being challenged. It will only adapt and change if it has too, so push yourself!

When training is at a challenging intensity the body reacts by increasing its ability to cope with that intensity. This is when the body and fitness improve.

On the other hand, when we train at an easier intensity our body will not adapt and improve, because it doesn’t need too!

A good example of the importance of training intensity can be seen by comparing walking vs jogging. Walking is a great introduction to exercise, and whilst it will improve fitness levels and body weight, it will only do so quite slowly over a long period of time. Low intensity exercise can only take your fitness so far.

To achieve significant results in a short to medium time frame, training needs to be at a medium to high intensity.

Calories burnt during exercise demonstrates the importance of training intensity when trying to achieve results. When a walking speed of 6.5km/hr is increased to a slow jog speed of 8km/hr, the calories burnt is doubled! Changing your morning walk into a morning jog will double to calories you burn, and mean your fitness and weight will improve significantly faster.

Slow and steady is good, but high intensity is far better!

So don’t be afraid to work hard! If you are not tired at the end of your workout, sweating, or out of breath, or you probably haven’t trained at a body and fitness changing intensity.